London, United Kingdom
“Solar Blanket is different from a standard electric blanket as it uses solar power to heat up. This makes it more affordable and sustainable, as you only have to spend money on it once,” explains Mireille Steinhage, designer.
Mireille Steinhage’s Solar Blanket uses solar power to generate power and save energy by directing heat toward the user through its conductive yarn threads that run through it.
The designer has developed the blanket as part of her project of exploring ways to make renewable energy products more accessible and affordable – a project she called People Power.
The Solar Blanket is designed with the ability to isolate warmth in their immediate periphery and avoid wasting energy on heating up an entire space.
The solar panel, which works in most weather conditions, is designed to be placed in front of a window.
The blanket is made from polyester fabric and striped with conductive yarn to generate heat. The yarn is covered by a polyester ribbon to prevent it from coming into contact with itself when folded.
It can be used to charge a portable power bank which then can be used to power the blanket, along with other objects in the home.
Portability gives the blanket the advantage of not being location bound, and the ability to expand its use.
The project also aims to emphasize the need to make sustainable choices more accessible by providing an inclusive way to create comfortable homes for all.
Project: Solar Blanket
Designer: Mireille Steinhage
Photographers: Mael Henaff
